27 More Missouri Counties Designated For Disaster Assistance
Release Date: March 24, 2006
Release Number: 1631-011
» More Information on Missouri Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Disaster assistance has been made available for more Missouri counties to help residents and business owners recover from the effects of recent tornadoes and storms federal and state officials announced today.
Officials with the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said the counties were added to the list of eligible jurisdictions based on a review of damage data gathered by state and federal disaster recovery officials.
The 27 additional counties now eligible for Individual Assistance are: Bates, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cooper, Greene, Henry, Howard, Iron, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Mississippi, Montgomery, Morgan, New Madrid, Newton, Phelps, Putnam, Scott, St. Clair, Taney, Vernon, Webster and Wright.
Bates, Howard, Jefferson and Montgomery counties were already declared for Public Assistance in the original disaster declaration.
"What this means is that residents and business owners in these 27 additional Missouri counties are now eligible to apply for assistance to recover from the recent severe weather," said Thomas J. Costello, FEMA's federal coordinating officer for the disaster recovery effort.
"We're pleased for the citizens of Missouri that our request for assistance for these additional counties were quickly approved by FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security," said Ron Reynolds, SEMA director.
Affected Missouri residents and business owners may apply for assistance immediately by calling the toll-free registration number, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CDT, seven days a week until further notice. Those with a speech or hearing impairment may call TTY 1-800-462-7585. People also may register online at www.fema.gov.
Disaster-affected residents and business owners in these 27 counties are eligible to apply for a range of state and federal disaster assistance programs under the major disaster declaration for Missouri issued by President Bush on March 18 to recover from severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding on March 11-13, 2006. The assistance can include Individuals and Households housing assistance, other needs assistance programs, and federal low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Monday, 27-Mar-2006 09:56:40